Accipitrinae

Accipitrinae
The Accipitrinae are the subfamily of the Accipitridae often known as the "true" hawks, including all members of Accipiter and the closely related genera Microspizias, Erythrotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread genus Accipiter includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, the sharp-shinned hawk and others. They are primarily woodland birds that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch, with long tails, broad wings and high visual acuity facilitating this lifestyle. In light of recent genetic research, the kites of the traditional subfamily Milvinae may also belong to this group.
Hawks, including the accipitrines, are believed to have vision several times sharper than humans, in part because of the great number of photoreceptor cells in their retinas (up to 1,000,000 per square mm, against 200,000 for humans), a very high number of nerves connecting the receptors to the brain, and an indented fovea, which magnifies the central portion of the visual field.
Species in taxonomic order
Subfamily Accipitrinae
Genus Accipiter
African goshawk, A. tachiro
Besra, A. virgatus
Bicolored hawk, A. bicolor
Black sparrowhawk, A. melanoleucus
Brown goshawk, A. fasciatus
Chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk, A. castanilius
Chinese sparrowhawk, A. soloensis
Christmas goshawk, Accipiter fasciatus natalis
Collared sparrowhawk, A. cirrocephalus
Cooper's hawk, A. cooperii
Crested goshawk, A. trivirgatus
Dwarf sparrowhawk, A. nanus
Eurasian sparrowhawk, A. nisus
Fiji goshawk, A. rufitorques
Frances's sparrowhawk, A. francesii
Grey goshawk, A. novaehollandiae
Grey-bellied hawk, A. poliogaster
Grey-headed goshawk, A. poliocephalus
Gundlach's hawk, A. gundlachi
Henst's goshawk, A. henstii
Imitator sparrowhawk, A. imitator
Japanese sparrowhawk, A. gularis
Levant sparrowhawk, A. brevipes
Little sparrowhawk, A. minullus
Madagascar sparrowhawk, A. madagascariensis
Moluccan goshawk, A. henicogrammus
Meyer's goshawk, A. meyerianus
New Britain goshawk, A. princeps
New Britain sparrowhawk, A. brachyurus
Nicobar sparrowhawk, A. butleri
Northern goshawk, A. gentilis
Ovambo sparrowhawk, A. ovampensis
Pied goshawk, A. albogularis
Plain-breasted hawk, A. ventralis
Red-chested goshawk, A. toussenelii
Red-thighed sparrowhawk, A. erythropus
Rufous-chested sparrowhawk, A. rufiventris
Rufous-necked sparrowhawk, A. erythrauchen
Rufous-thighed hawk, A. erythronemius
Sharp-shinned hawk, A. striatus
Shikra, A. badius
Slaty-mantled sparrowhawk, A. luteoschistaceus
Spot-tailed sparrowhawk, A. trinotatus
Sulawesi goshawk, A. griseiceps
Vinous-breasted sparrowhawk, A. rhodogaster
White-bellied goshawk, A. haplochrous
Genus Erythrotriorchis
Chestnut-shouldered goshawk, E. buergersi
Red goshawk, E. radiatus
Genus Megatriorchis
Doria's goshawk, M. doriae
Genus Microspizias
Tiny hawk, M. superciliosus
Semicollared hawk, M. collaris
Several genera or species formerly classified in this subfamily, such as Micronisus, Urotriorchis and Circus, have since been moved out of Accipitrinae following phylogenetic studies. In contrast, other genera such as Microspizias, and Lophospiza have since been reclassified into Accipitrinae.
Hawks and humans
Hawks are sometimes used in falconry, a sport in which trained birds of prey are flown at small game for sport.
References
External links
Hawk videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Hawk photos taken on the central coast of California.
Bird subfamilies
Birds of prey
Accipitridae